Argentina owes British taxpayers £225 million, it emerged, as the government faced calls to halt any further support to the aggressor country.

Ministers have been urged to oppose any further World Bank loans to Argentina, after an escalation of tension over the Falkland Islands and a threatened boycott of British goods.

The World Bank - which Britain is a major shareholder of - has shelled out £10.4 billion in loans to Argentina. The UK’s share of this is over £225 million, according to parliamentary answers given to Tory MP Priti Patel.

Both Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne and Barack Obama have spoken out against the World Bank loan to Argentina which currently stand at £10.4 billion

The TaxPayers’ Alliance yesterday launched an online petition called StopFundingArgentina.org.

It urged British ministers to use their votes to oppose further loans of the World Bank to Argentina.

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A spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: ‘Britain can and should act to stop further World Bank loans to Argentina. This is a key opportunity to show that our aid policy reflects rather than ignores Britain’s broader national interests.

The Argentinian government has launched recent attacks on British interests by advocating a boycott of British goods. It has also tried to claim sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Britain’s response has been muted so far.

In contrast, President Obama has already ensured that America will oppose any new loans to Argentina because the country had failed to respect its obligations to earlier lenders.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Meanwhile the Foreign Office yesterday accused Argentina of ‘domineering’ behaviour ahead of an official visit to mark the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the Falklands.

Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said he was disappointed at the Argentinian government’s aggressive stance.

Buenos Aires is launching criminal proceedings against British oil firms operating off the Falkland’s coastline.

Ahead of his visit to the remote isles, Mr Browne said: ‘Sometimes there is a narrative from Argentina - and the decolonisation committee is prompted by that narrative - that here is Britain, this big, global power, and poor Argentina, that is going to the decolonisation committee at the UN to try and have their voice heard, well that is the Argentinean narrative.

‘Let me put forward what I think is a much more accurate, contemporary narrative, which is that there is a G20 country, at the top table of world affairs, one would imagine keen to be responsible on the world stage, with a population of about 40 million people, seeking to put an economic blockade in place which will, in tangible terms the ambition of that is, to impoverish an isolated community with about 3,000 people.’

He added: ‘Which party in this arrangement are behaving in a domineering way and who are the vulnerable population who are having to make their way in the world despite a much more powerful country going out of their way to make that harder for them? I think that it’s pretty clear cut.’

Diplomatic sources have warned that the UK is facing a ‘difficult few months’ with Argentina during this anniversary year.

June 14 marks exactly 30 years since the liberation of the Falkland Islands.The British Government is not organising its own official commemorations this year because it is Whitehall policy to use public money only for 25th, 50th, 60th and 100th anniversaries.

But Mr Browne will travel to the Island to attend the annual Liberation Day service on June 14.

A spokesman for the Department of International Development said: ‘No British taxpayers’ money is spent on World Bank loans to Argentina. The Secretary of State will consider Britain’s position on any future World Bank loans when the time comes.’

However, Britain’s share of Argentina’s outstanding loans is over £225 million, based on the UK’s shareholding of the two World Bank institutions who lend to the country.